Questions for the GM June 2008
This set of questions was compiled by Archaesmd. Interview starts below the line. Questions are in Bold, answers and other comments from the GM are unformatted. Since the introduction to this month's questions is so large, it has remained unformatted for easier reading. ---- A long line of curious adventurers winds its way through the streets of the southern quarter of the city of Talinus. Having seen the summons and heard the rumors, they have arrived from across the realm of Tysa, tired from travel and bloodied from their many exploits in hopes of being amongst the lucky few to pose their question to the mysterious and reclusive GM. In the humid and hazy June day, they wait, some chatting with their neighbors, others polishing their heavy armor and weapons, and most looking bored or impatient. A young girl in worn grey robes wanders down the line carrying a jug of water with a steel dipper, offering drinks to keep both their throats and their moods quenched. The front of the line ends at a long oak table placed in front of the heavy iron gates that admit entry to the walled compound of the Grey Circle, that age-old brotherhood of mages; today, the gates are flanked by eight guards instead of the usual two. The blue glimmer of the gates intensifies for a brief moment and the guards snap to attention as one side swings open and a stern-faced middle-aged man clad in much finer grey robes steps out. With his bald head and short black bristling mustache, he is recognizable to other members of the order as one of the expert instructors of Conjuration magic. He gestures to the line and says in a deep sonorous voice, “Thank you for waiting and gathering here. Through hours of study, numerous rare resources, and the great efforts of my devoted fellow Circle members, we have created a powerful parchment imbued with Nevernal magic that will allow us to transmit our questions instantly to he who is known as The GM. One at a time, write your requests upon this ‘letter of sending’, and if The GM so desires, after some time the answer will appear. Its powers will only last for a small number of questions, so choose your words wisely.” One by one, the line of adventurers steps forward, takes the sharp feathered quill, and writes their name and question upon the shimmering silver page. The instant the ink hits, it is instantly absorbed. After several moments, it swirls again to form the answers. First in line from last month, Young Ned writes eagerly: “What exactly is the difference between a heavy crossbow and a boltsling? Their features overlap, since heavy crossbows can be wound with gears too, and crossbow bolts can be made of metal as well.” The boltsling is more powerful than a heavy crossbow and more easily-concealed/carried, due to the nature of its construction. It's also more mechanical in nature. ' Feanor scribbles: “What happened to the raffles, when will we have more? And pirate or ninja, which one is superior in your eyes?”' Yes, there will be more raffles. I would have to say pirate wins. When I consider both the pirate and the ninja, the ships, the peg legs, the Jolly Roger, walking the plank, and the priceless pirate-speak easily trump everything else. Shalok-Gul, in a sweeping hand: “Are you a fan of fantasy/sci-fi literature? If so are you awaiting the release of anything at the moment?” I don't normally read fantasy/sci-fi, and in fact have only ever read a few titles in that genre -- the Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia are two of the series in the genre that I've read. I tend to read non-fantasy-related literature when I read, though I hate to admit that I don't read as much as I should! Thinking a moment, Shalok-Gul continues: “Will we acquire the power that has been used against us several times in Saarngard?” There may indeed be the opportunity to acquire and wield a psionic attack power. Loron, writing with crisp lines and concise letters: “Will there be more permanent stat boosters?” Yes. Loron continues: “Will the seemingly still-alive phantom assassin take revenge on us in the future? He's alive? I'll have to check into that. If that's the case, I'll have to advise everyone to go back to locking your doors and windows! IF he is alive, then I would expect he's waiting for the right time to score his revenge. Archaesmd takes the quill and writes almost illegibly: “Will we get to use the Silver Crest back room for storage? And will Teek ever come back?” An upcoming scenario, set in the aftermath of the fifth Proving Grounds, will feature Teek. Paladin, with elegant handwriting: “Will we be visiting Syr and Charna in the normal game anytime soon? And if so, will we have more encounters with Vouldra's Curse and Thane Monrell respectively?” Both of those places will eventually be opened for normal play, like the other cities. And yes, any prolonged excursion into Syr is almost certain to mean that you will cross paths with the ruthless band of thieves and murderers known as Vouldra's Curse. MrBlack steps forward and hurriedly scratches out: “Will our old friend Wenreald the fence have any new items in the future or will he be able to fence any of our items?” Wenreald will quite likely have a new item or two in a future update. The idea of him possessing the ability to fence items you is an interesting one I'll consider. Shadowblack, writing swiftly: “There's no way to get to Silverwysp without being AG, but there are some non-AG adventures there. Why is that? And why are some areas of Tysa much better developed than others (i.e. SW and W have the most locations, while NE only has one). Which area of Tysa do you plan to develop next?” Yes, some of those adventures may be mismarked as non-AG. The areas with more adventure content are just the areas around which the current adventures were built. One of the next areas to be built up is southern Tysa, which includes the city of Syr. Shadowblack continues to scrawl: “Will there be more adventures, content, and items added for new/weaker characters? Will new, better Troll Bonts be added, since they currently are not useful for much?" Yes, I will strive to strike a balance across adventures/content/items for all different character ability levels. Troll-bonts are an odd weapon that are obviously closely connected with Jirig, the Troll Hunter. I can only say that you can expect to meet Jirig again. As the mage at the table frowns towards him, Shadowblack licks the tip of the quill and keeps writing: “Any chance of us meeting Joh-Jul again in the near future? I never got a chance to best him in combat.” Joh-Jul needs to be worked back into the storyline in a more significant way. He has always longed for a remedy to his "condition"... Shadowblack writes his last question and signs it with a flourish: “Also, we have used the Wraithking’s Scepter as an item in combat to damage the demon we fought, but it only worked twice. Will we ever get to recharge the scepter and use it like that again?” That particular use of the scepter was only against that particular enemy. As always, thank you for the great questions and the creative way they've been presented! I hope I was able to answer them all, but if any more info is needed, or I've forgotten to address anything, let me know! Thanks for playing and thanks for supporting Sryth! Good luck on your adventures! After the last question, the page glows bright silver for a moment; then, black ink pools upon its surface, spilling off onto the table as the parchment turns a dull grey. Snatching the paper and quill from Shadowblack’s hands, the mage holds up the paper and says, “Though an amazing item, its magic has now been expended; your questions have been dealt with.” With a slight smirk –perhaps an attempt at a smile– he continues, “Do not forget to visit the Grey Circle should you have any need of expert magic. As for those skilled in the Nevernal arts, you should apply; we have much to offer.” Once again, the crowd disperses -- back to the slaying of goblins, back to exploring the dusty crypts and tombs, back to the deeds that will one day make them the stuff of songs and legends . . . luck and The GM permitting, of course. ----